"Did I Take a Wrong Turn?"

Pastor Ray
02/13/2005

Did I take a wrong turn?
Did I take a wrong turn? Or is this all someone else’s fault? Or could it be, some of both? Our first two lessons tell us that Adam and Eve are to blame for this sinful world. God’s plan for a “happily-ever-after” was turned upside down thanks to their disobedience. Okay, I’ll let them take the blame, but I do have to admit that I’ve done my share of falling from grace in life. Haven’t you? Be honest now… If you look back on all of your life, isn’t there a place where you should have pulled over and asked, “Did I take a wrong turn?”
….To think that I’m so perfect that I could have done better. If God had just made me first and placed me in the Garden of Eden, you know, the place which flowed with milk and honey and all God’s creation would be under my care and all that I would have needed would be right at my feet and … I would have known a good thing, don’t you think?
After all, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the trees and the fish and the animals and it was good, the Bible says. But the master creator couldn’t stop there, God had to add one more final touch to his masterpiece and so, God created humanity in His own image. God wasn’t just a little pleased at this great creation “Adam”, He was very pleased. And it was very good. And being proud of His creation, God placed his finest work, His children, in an ideal kingdom, a land we call the Garden of Eden. Like a truly loving parent, God had wonderful things planned for His children. Oh, to have had God walking through the garden beside you, what else could a man or a woman have ever wanted?
It must have been an early misty morning, or something, as Eve, taking a stroll, came face-to-face with that serpent. Couldn’t she have seen what was coming? -- the temptation. It had to have been very early in the morning, for Eve clearly, wasn’t awake… she was weak … and the serpent was craftier than any other creature. He set her up. It was all his fault. Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?” Like a good salesman, he skillfully wove his pitch. He got a partial yes. Of course,… God said we could eat from the garden. BUT God did say to stay away from just one tree. A partial answer is dangerous. Don’t you know why God said to stay away from such an enticing plant? It’s special and will give you more than you could ever imagine…Eve, it will open your eyes to all sorts of things beyond even your wildest dreams.
See how temptation begins? That’s why country songs are strummed to lyrics about the Devil in blue jeans. And Madison Avenue ads pitch bright red sports cars surrounded by ‘beautiful’ people. People normally run from snakes and such, but some other things seem so very tempting.
It might have been any one of us. Whether it’s an apple, or a job promotion, or a sports car, or new blue jeans, sometimes there’s a fine line between good and not so good. Temptation comes in so many ways… if only it always looked devilish or slithered like a serpent. But it doesn’t. Sometimes it’s serpents who come to take away the loneliness and the emptiness we think we feel inside. Sometimes it’s the serpents who come with new and impossible sales quotas to meet. Anti-trust seminars one day, and pep rallies the next. Sometimes, it’s the battle between doing your homework yourself, or cheating to get the “A”. Sometimes, it’s between buying for ourselves another (an additional) pair of shoes and covering the naked feet of someone without shoes at all. Do we dare to list our own weaknesses? Oh, I bet you’ve discovered yours through the years.
We tend to talk more about God than the devil; more about grace than law; more about salvation and heaven than lost and hell. BUT today, as we begin our Lenten journey, maybe we all need to be reminded that we had something to do with Jesus being nailed to a cross – for our sins. Being reminded that we too have fallen short of living a garden-like life is part of this Lenten journey. Being reminded that we too are sinners will also remind us why all sinners should be welcomed to hear the Gospel message. For if God can save a sinner like us, any one of us, certainly there’s hope for everyone else too. And not to forget that Easter Sunday is over a month away and not to give away the end of the Good News story, but Jesus came to save everyone – all who will believe, all who have faith and come up from the waters of their Baptism claimed as a child of God. The story begins to fit together.
St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “Just as sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and death came through sin,… death and sin was conquered through one man, Jesus Christ the Son of God.” Yes, I too would rather talk about Jesus’ gift than about Adam’s legacy. As Paul writes, “…Much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life…” In plain English, Jesus gives us all a second chance. Me. You. Everyone… Jesus gives us all a second chance.
Yes, we could spend our lives blaming Adam, or Eve, or the person who won the job promotion over us, for the mess we get ourselves into, but deep down, we know better. Truth is, we do a mighty fine job of walking with the serpent all by ourselves and reaching out to touch the temptations along the way. Instead, wouldn’t it be better to spend a lot of our lives thanking Jesus for second chances and for the promised resurrection? Wouldn’t it be better to spend our lives confident that it is God who walks with us… through the garden, and the valleys, the moments when temptations don’t faze us and, the moments when we are weak.
Jesus knows that the devil is real. And more importantly, the devil knows that Jesus is real. Jesus faced the serpent’s evil lies and his crafty temptations. So, who better than Jesus to walk with us in daily living?
I can think of no one better. But there are others who are called to walk this journey. We’re called the church. And we’re called to keep telling this story of second chances week after week, day after day… forever… until Jesus comes and takes us on a more permanent journey. Some days we tend to forget that without God’s Holy Spirit calling us and guiding us and living in our heart, we’d be slithering along right beside the old serpent. It’s only by God’s grace and love that we’re able to be more like Jesus and resist all the temptations…. even the temptation to want to sit back and judge all the others who have recently given in to temptation. Even our Lord knows how hard it is to resist. Three times Jesus resisted the devil and was so exhausted after Satan departed, that God’s angels came to wait on him.
Would you believe that as I look around this morning I see lots of angels? Maybe a few with wings and halos, but that’s not the whole story. I look around and see your face. You may not be an angel, but you are a minister. Through the waters of Holy Baptism, you have been claimed by God and called to do ministry—to tell the Good News that God wants to care for our brothers and sisters who may be struggling. If we had to face the devil alone, we’d all be in trouble, just like Adam and Eve. But we’re not alone. God is still walking with us. So, you, nor I, nor any of us are ever alone, are we? Remember that. When we ourselves feel attacked, what better place to run than to the church and to God’s people? And, when our neighbor is under attack, what better place to bring them than to the church and to God’s people? Hear again the words of the Psalmist and let them go with you this day: Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord. There is a choice. But it never has to be made alone. Never. And if never alone, is there really a wilderness? Not when God’s people are faithful to their call. So should any one ever be found alone in the wilderness?
May God help and guide us on our Lenten Journey. Amen.